After the check-in around the question „What call do we hear for another AoH training in Berlin?“, we explored underlying patters and connections between the different calls.

During this conversation, confusion and the call for structure and objectives for this meeting entered our circle. Being in the groan zone the old meeting paradigm was showing up (asking for more structure and meeting objectives) and the new paradigm around purpose and a process of questions was not visible, yet for some of us.

On the same day, I had started to read a draft version of a new book by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze „Walk Out Walk On – a learning journey into communities daring to live the future now“ and I was struck by their reflections on confusion in the „Leaving Home“ chapter of the book: „Confusing moments are wonderful opportunities to observe our minds more closely. If something’s provoked or startled me, it’s because I assumed something different was true. I thought things worked like this, but now I’m not so sure…As we journey together, we encourage you to welcome those moments when you feel confronted, surprised. Each one is an opportunity to see your own mind, to notice your beliefs and assumptions. And to be open to change.“

At this point, we have the choice to sit with this confusion and possibly frustration to stick to our assumptions or we can accept this confusion as a start of a transformation process and ask the next questions to give us the structure and clarity to walk on.

For some this meeting on Wednesday was a new meeting experience and for others who had attended an AoH training before, the wish to practice hosting on a local level emerged.

So how do I sit with this wish that I felt was addressed to me in the old paradigm leadership style of a leader seen as a hero knowing all the answers who is telling other people what to do?

A paradigm that I had just walked out on with the Hub Berlin at the beginning of 2011 – in the past year, I have been meeting too many people who asked me where they could help me with the Hub Berlin.

Waking up on Thursday morning, four of the Pioneers of Change principles came to my mind that might assist in taking people’s wish to start practicing hosting to the next level:
– Never stop asking questions: What are the next questions to ask to take us further in this process?
– Engage with others: What is your next step in engaging with this process and with each other? How do you engage with the harvest of different conversations happening in Berlin and in Germany (see the harvest in the German AoH ning group)? What is the next call and process design for deepening this sensing process and what is your unique role as a host in this?
– Start now and do what matters to you and the local community in this process right now.
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P.S.: To support the global community of learning communities, join us for the „Walk Out Walk On“ campaign day on April 13th and buy the book on www.amazon.com
50 percent of the royalties from the April 13th campaign will be donated to five organizations profiled in the book, including Elos, the GreenHouse Project, Kufunda, Shikshantar and Axladitsa-Avatakia. If the book makes it to #1 on the Amazon bestseller list, 100 percent of the day’s royalties will be donated.

Eine Antwort zu Hosting in action: learning to transform

this is a very personal learning story. Thank you Frauke. Many times I am too in chaotic situations like this, missing structure and struggling for the red line. It is good to be concious and aware of old and new paradigm leadership style – it is sooo different. And we must be very aware to realise it. In this huge energy change in the world we always flow back and forward between old and new paradigm. And it is so good to have priciples like you show us and to use them as a guideline into the new. Thank you Frauke for this story.
Gabriele